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program until the end. Randomization could not be done properly in Kariobangi. Similar to Suame Magazine, the target group of entrepreneurs was informed of the training program during the summer of 2007. However, violence erupted after the presidential election in late December 2007, and implementation of the training program had to be delayed from January to April 2008; this delay reduced awareness and motivation among the target group of entrepreneurs for the program. The selection of participants, including a re-sensitization effort, was further disrupted by a series of local security incidents in Nairobi, including some in Kariobangi itself, that occurred immediately before the start date of the training program.3 Only 60 entrepreneurs applied to the program in Kariobangi (among 127 entrepreneurs participating in the baseline survey who were informed of the program), and all were admitted to the program. Thus participation was purely by self-selection.
Notes 1. The only exception is that a guest speaker from a bank was invited to speak to participants in Kenya, while no guest speaker was invited in Ghana. The speaker was from the Equity Bank of Kenya and made a presentation on the bank’s products and services and its credit appraisal process. 2. In-class teaching was complemented by on-site coaching provided upon request. In each country, 15 entrepreneurs were selected to receive on-site assessment and coaching. During the module training, the instructor or resource person would visit enterprises to discuss specific problems and to coach managers to develop solutions. 3. The start of the training program itself was also delayed by two days.
References EDC Limited. 2007. “Training Report: Implementation of Pilot Cluster Business Management Training Programs in Ghana (Kumasi).” Consultancy report, World Bank, Washington, DC. ———. 2008. “Training Report: Implementation of Pilot Cluster Business Management Training Programs in Kenya (Nairobi).” Consultancy report, World Bank, Washington, DC. Iddrisu, Alhassan, Yukichi Mano, and Tetsushi Sonobe. 2009. “Entrepreneurial Skills and Industrial Development: The Case of a Car Repair and Metalworking Cluster in Ghana.” Centre for the Study of African Economies, Department of Economics, Oxford University (February 27).